1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the practice of a golf swing. More particularly, it relates to a device which simulates a conventional golf hole target for the user to practice hitting a golf ball into the hole without the need for a four inch deep hole or elevated platforms or other large and expensive practice apparatus. The device features a curved deflector designed to redirect balls struck at the proper angle and speed into a base cavity while rejecting balls improperly hit for angle or speed. The hemispherically shaped curved deflector is adjustable for the angle of ball approach during a practice session making it especially easy to relocate for use in different locations.
2. Prior Art
In the United States and throughout the world, the game of golf is a sport and passion of millions of players. From the professional player earning millions of dollars per year to the amateur player, the point of the game is to deposit the golf ball in the hole using the fewest possible strokes of the golf club. As is obvious, such a game requires many hours of practice to develop sufficient skills and muscle memory for the player to be capable of playing on a competitive or even enjoyable level.
Currently, most indoor putting practice systems are based on two designs. A first such conventional golf practice simulator design is based on having a fully elevated planar platform that raises the whole putting surface few inches above ground to provide the depth in the surface for a hole which the player targets during putting practice. This design, though fairly accurate in replicating the properties of actual flat-and-level putting surface, typically costs hundreds of dollars to replicate a small putting surface practice area. Such a system is also not portable and costly to ship.
A second popular golf practice simulator design uses a ramp which ramps the struck ball upward from the hitting surface by a few inches to a second planar surface where the target hole is located. The products based on this design, even though are lower in cost and more portable, they are highly inaccurate in replicating the behavior of a struck golf ball in actual putting situations. The ramping up of the ball to the second planar surface is not an accurate manner for which the golfer to practice hand and eye coordination when imparting force and speed to the ball since the ramp decreases the actual force of the ball driven toward the hole. In real life situations, this is not the normal surface for a ball nor does a putting green have inclines to decrease ball force. This inaccuracy is further aggravated if the ball""s path is inclined at an oblique angle to the ramp""s front.
The device and embodiments disclosed herein are directed at a highly accurate golf hole synthetizer which allows the user to strike a golf ball at the normal speed and force which would be used on a golf course. Much like an actual hole on a putting green, the device herein disclosed will entrap a ball properly hit at the correct angle and speed, while it will reject balls hit at improper angles and at improper speeds. This allows the user to practice hitting the ball just as would be done on a regular putting green without the inaccuracies caused by ramps and without the high cost of constructing a large flat practice area when the ramp is not used to slow the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,147 (Mull) teaches a putting stroke developer which may be used with or without a putting surface element. However, Mull operates by rebounding the ball at a determined angle and speed and requires the user to interpret whether or not the put was acceptable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,106 (Shore) discloses a golf putting practice device which has a rear wall which simulates the rear wall of a golf hole. Shore has two sloping planes in front of a rear wall which blocks balls hit slow enough wherein balls hit too hard, pass over it. However Shore uses inclines in front of the wall and is thus not the same as a level putting green and also is open to user interpretation since it does not actually trap properly hit balls in a hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,856 (Fatur) features a golf practice putting aid using a pair of long arm portions around a central portion as a target for the golfer. However Fatur does not actually trap the ball in a hole if properly hit and is not based on draining a calculated amount of kinetic energy from the ball to determine if it was properly hit.
As such, there exists a need for an easily and inexpensively manufactured device to aid in the practice of golf putting. Such a device should be easily transported and positionable for practice both indoors and outdoors. Such a device should be situated on a planar surface and not require ramps or inclines to drain energy from the ball to give the user an accurate estimate of the amount of force required to reach the hole viewed at a distance. Such a golf practice device should be configured to measure and drain the kinetic energy from a ball hitting it, and to reject balls hit too hard or at the wrong angle and to entrap balls hit at the proper angle and force thereby alleviating any need for interpretation by the user as to a score.
Applicant""s device provides an easily manufactured and used golf putting practice device. The device as described and disclosed herein is small and light and therefor easily transported for use at a variety of locations and it may be used for practice both indoors and outdoors. The disclosed device in use is placed upon a planar surface a determined distance from the user and requires no ramps or inclines or abutments to drain energy from the struck ball. It consequently gives the user practice gauging the distance to the hole with eyesight and applying the appropriate amount of force to reach the hole viewed at that distance. Thus the user accurately gains practice and resulting hand and eye coordination and muscle memory as to the proper stroke and force to reach a hole at a user viewed distance.
This accurate placement of the hole a determined distance from the user is achieved using a configuration of the device to drain the kinetic energy from a ball hitting the deflector rejecting balls hit too hard or outside a determined correct angle, but entrapping balls hit withing a proper determined angle and determined maximum force. The user thus need not try to interpret the result of hitting the device as with other such practice aids and gains a great amount of practice using the actual stroke and force required to drop the ball in the hole not provided by conventional devices using ramps and berms to slow the ball.
An object of this invention is the provision of a golf putting practice device which avoids the use of ramps and berms and other ball impediments to slow an approaching ball.
Another object of this invention is to provide golf putting practice device which accurately uses and redirects the kinetic energy of the struck ball to accept or reject the ball from containment in the device.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a golf practice device which enables the user to gain accurate hand and eye coordination practice at hitting a golf ball into a hole at a viewed distance by the elimination of impairments to the speed and trajectory of the ball approaching the hole.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.